Adventures in Babysitting
by Amledo
Summary: Graduate Student Bilbo Baggins has landed a job as the live-in baby sitter for the Durin family for the summer. Thorin, the work from home jewelry artisan takes an interest in the younger man. A modern AU featuring bagginshield, and young Fili and Kili.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: Okay, so I know that I have other stories that need finishing, but this idea tickled my fancy and I just have to run with it. You know how that is. So yes, this is a modern AU and will be eventual Bagginshield, so if you don't like that sort of thing, this isn't for you. Anyway, I don't own the Hobbit and I never will, so there's that too. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this little or not so little as the case may be, story.)

Adventures in Babysitting

Bilbo looked up at the imposing structure that was the Durin household and sighed heavily, hefting his book bag higher onto his shoulder. His family wasn't poor, not by any means, but he could hardly imagine the inside of the palatial mansion that he was about to enter. No sense in delaying it, he thought to himself before ringing the bell with more confidence than he actually felt.

It seemed like it took an eternity for the sound of the bell to echo through the house and back, but the door actually opened rather promptly. Before him stood a tall, broad-chested man with a healthy beard and a wild mane of dark hair. Knowing that there would be no other adults in the house he was forced to assume that this was Thorin, the Uncle with whom he would be sharing the babysitting duties.

"You must be Bilbo Baggins, I'm Thorin," the man said, confirming Bilbo's assumption and extending his hand for the younger man to shake. Bilbo grasped the offered hand, almost gasping at the warmth and strength of the other man.

"Pleased to meet you Thorin. Are the boys already asleep?" Bilbo asked, as their hands parted company and Thorin stood back from the door to allow Bilbo to enter. The smaller man lugged his two duffle bags through the door, balancing his other side with his backpack. He was to spend the entirety of his summer vacation with the family Durin, thus earning him enough money for books and other necessities come the start of next term.

"I just put them down an hour ago. They'll be awake again shortly, looking for a midnight snack or some such, you'll get your chance to meet them before you know it. In the meantime, I will show you to your room so you can get yourself settled," Thorin said with a smile, the man had seemed rather imposing, but only for an instant. Bilbo instantly liked him and was glad that he would be around.

"I wasn't aware that I would be getting my own room," Bilbo admitted with a blush. He had packed a sleeping bag, assuming that he would be relegated to sleeping in a den or some other such out of the way room. Thorin smiled brightly and closed the door behind the graduate student, he could see what his sister liked about the 26 year old, so unassuming and polite.

"Originally you weren't, but you impressed Dis and she cleaned up our brother's old room for you. He moved out years ago and, well, it doesn't seem like he's going to be coming back any time soon, so you get to use it," Thorin said, filling the silence as they tromped up a wide set of stairs to the second level of the mansion. It was every bit as elegant as Bilbo's family home was humble. Dis Durin was a well-respected lawyer and made quite a pretty penny as such, but the house had been inherited from the very same Durin's that Bilbo had read about in his local history courses, the family that founded the city during the mining years. The name Durin was practically a synonym for wealth in the city of Erebor.

"I'm flattered, honestly, I brought a sleeping bag, not knowing what to think," Bilbo admitted, finding that he was able to tell this man almost anything without shame. Dis had made him equally comfortable. They were very approachable for a family so wealthy. Even Thorin, who crafted jewelry for royalty and celebrities alike, was seemingly kind hearted and friendly.

"Ah, well the original plan was to have you sharing space with some of my sister's old case files in one of the offices. But she figured that you deserved better than a futon," Thorin acknowledged before pressing open the third door on the left side of a large hallway, from the ceiling of which hung several chandeliers. Once upon a time they might have been lit by candles, but now electric bulbs glowed cheerily in their place.

"I will have to thank her for her consideration," Bilbo returned, feeling his jaw hit the floor as Thorin flicked on the lights, illuminating the large room that would become his for the duration of the Summer. There was a King sized bed in the middle of the room, and several floor to ceiling bookshelves covering the walls. There was a desk in one corner, with an ornate chair that probably cost more than all of Bilbo's college text books combined. There was also a large entertainment center with a flat-panel TV and surround sound speaker system included.

"Is it a bit much? I told her it was a bit much," Thorin said, looking around the room with the same curious eye as Bilbo. The smaller man swallowed thickly and looked to Thorin in shock and surprise.

"It's…well it's bigger than the top floor of my family home…I'm not used to so much space, that's all," Bilbo admitted quietly. He was used to towering bookcases, his father being the avid reader that he was, but he had never in his life seen a bed so large. It was a wonder that he was going to have it all to himself.

"Ah, well, I suppose it is rather large. But it isn't the biggest room in the house. If you want big, you'll have to see the formal dining room," Thorin said with a chuckle and took the bags from Bilbo's hand, walking into the room and settling them next to the bed. The smaller man followed without a word, still processing the idea that there was a room bigger than this one in the house.

(A/N: I know it's kind of short, but this is just where my brain stopped working. So if you please leave me a review to let me know if this is an idea that interests you and you would like me to continue. Thanks for your time!)


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: I didn't expect this to go over so well, I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter. There are likely to be many more to come. So here we go, on with the show!)

Adventures in Babysitting

Part 2

Thorin motioned for Bilbo to follow him back out of the room, indicating that he would be able to get settled a bit later. Excited to see the rest of the house that he would be spending the summer in, Bilbo followed readily, closing the door to his new room behind himself. They made their way back down the stairs, past several ornate vases on narrow tables which Bilbo noted were bolted in place, likely to prevent them being knocked over by rambunctious children.

"The kitchen in through here, you have unfettered access to the fridge and pantry. I will be doing most of the cooking, but there will be days when I'm out that you'll be expected to prepare meals for the boys. I'll warn you now that you'll have to trick them into eating their vegetables," Thorin chuckled brightly, pulling open the doors of the double-wide fridge. It was well stocked with everything that Bilbo could possibly want to eat and more. He was amazed by the sheer abundance of fruit and vegetables, some in season, and others wildly not so. "Are you hungry?" Thorin asked, watching Bilbo's eyes widen slightly at the sight of the fridge.

"Famished," Bilbo admitted and the older man clapped him on the shoulder, smiling more brightly than before. He grabbed a massive pack of ground beef and closed the doors with his elbows.

"Good, I'm pretty hungry myself," Thorin slapped the package down on the counter and grabbed a grill pan down from the hanging rack of pots and pans. "I hope you like burgers," the taller man said and turned on the flame beneath the pan. He ripped into the plastic covering of the ground beef and scooped out a generous handful, quickly shaping it into a round patty. One by one he formed the burgers, two larger ones and two decidedly smaller ones, placing them on the grill pan as soon as they were made.

"Love them. Should I cut up any vegetables?" Bilbo asked and drizzled soap over Thorin's hands for him once he was at the sink. The older man scrubbed his hands together, forming a lather as the sound of the burgers cooking began to overcome the noise of the faucet.

"Tomatoes, onions, and lettuce, if you would, please. There's a stack of cutting boards under that counter, the green ones are for vegetables," Thorin said, pointing with one dripping hand, the black and white checkerboard tiles beneath him shining with water. Bilbo nodded and stooped to grab a cutting board before stepping over to the fridge and pulling it open again to retrieve the requested vegetables.

"Are burgers one of the ways that you get the boys to eat their vegetables?" the smaller man asked, quickly cutting the ends off of an onion and peeling it with the back of the knife. He made short work of cutting it into rounds, scooting it to one side of the cutting board before starting in on the tomato.

"Yes, as long as it's accompanied by a healthy dose of meat, they'll eat just about anything. How do you take your burgers?" Thorin said and seasoned the tops of the burgers with copious amounts of salt and pepper.

"Medium rare, if you don't mind," Bilbo replied, nudging the tomato over and quickly slicing up some lettuce to finish up the vegetables. Thorin grabbed down three separate Tupperware containers and situated them near enough to the cutting board that Bilbo took the hint. He scooped the veggies into their respective containers using the chef's knife that he'd sliced them with before carrying the cutting board over to the sink.

"Good, ours will be done first then. The boys take theirs charred to a crisp, I can't stand it," Thorin stood in front of the stove top, a spatula poised to flip the two larger burgers as soon as it was time to do so.

"I will do my best to remember that. Is that them I hear now?" Bilbo asked, looking toward the doorway and straining his ears to hear the faint sound of giggling. He was certain that it had to have come from children.

"Yes, but they won't come down until they smell the food. They take all of their meat practically burnt, burgers, steaks, chicken, chops, all of it has to have a healthy blackness to it or they won't eat it," Thorin informed and expertly flipped his and Bilbo's burgers with the flick of a wrist.

"Where did they learn that?" Bilbo asked and Thorin laughed softly, seasoning the other side of their burgers as he did so.

"Their mother can't cook anything that isn't burnt, I've only taken over cooking in the year that I've been living back at home, so they're pretty set in their ways, as much as a ten year old and eight year old can be, that is," the other man said and it was Bilbo's turn to laugh. According to their mother, Fili and Kili were very stubborn children, so he figured that he wouldn't be changing their eating habits anytime soon.

"Well I'm sure that I will be a good change of pace for you then," Bilbo stated, grabbing plates out of the glass fronted cabinets and setting them up on the counter top. Next he made his way to the bread box, opening it and pulling out a bag of burger buns. They were the good kind, fresh from a local bakery; the date stamped on them was from that morning. He couldn't help but smile, it was certainly going to be a vast improvement from the food he was used to getting on campus.

Once he was done setting the buns up on the plates he re-covered the package of ground beef with some saran wrap and placed it back in the fridge. He was surprised by how quickly he was learning his way around the kitchen. Hopefully he would learn his way around the rest of the house just as quickly.

(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was pretty short. Leave a review to let me know what you thought. Next chapter Bilbo meets the boys!)


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: I'm really pleased with how well received this story has been. I fully intend to continue this for some time, so don't worry about that. Anyway, I don't own the Hobbit and I never will, so don't sue me. Now, on with the show.)

Adventures in Babysitting

Part 3

Thorin removed his and Bilbo's burgers from the heat and placed them carefully on the buns that Bilbo had laid out. He turned his attention back to the stovetop where he flipped the boys' burgers at long last, revealing the charred undersides. To Bilbo it was a wonder that they hadn't stuck themselves to the grill pan with how dark they had gotten. But he figured that Thorin knew well enough what he was doing to avoid such an issue.

"The pantry is through that door. You should find a big box of individually packaged potato chips on the top left shelf. I take sour cream and onion, the boys take barbecue. Pick whatever you like for yourself," Thorin said and pointed with one finger as he seasoned the crispy blackened sides of the remaining burgers.

Bilbo quickly moved to follow his instructions and was relieved to see a stepstool just inside the door of the pantry as he clicked the light on. For Thorin the box of chips would have been an easy reach, but Bilbo was nearly a head shorter than the other man. He stepped up and pulled the box down, quickly grabbing out the requested bags of chips plus an extra bag of sour cream and onion for himself. It seemed that he and Thorin had similar tastes.

He stuffed the chips on one of the lower shelves and returned the box to its proper home. Stepping down he returned the stepstool to where he had found it and reclaimed the chips. Flicking the light off, he exited the pantry to find Thorin still at the stove, making faces at the burgers that he was cooking.

The sounds from upstairs were getting louder, the giggling more defined, and the noise of videogames obvious. Bilbo wondered what kind of games the boys liked enough to wake up an hour after going to bed to play them. Part of him wondered if they even actually went to sleep when Thorin put them down or just pretended for the sake of their uncle. Certainly if Thorin knew enough to know that they'd be up, it was something of a habit of theirs.

"So why exactly do the boys not just go to bed when you tell them to?" Bilbo asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Thorin glanced up from the stove and smiled at the younger man.

"They got used to waking up to the sound of their mother getting home from work. For the longest time that was midnight, and they would always get up and eat a second dinner with her. But now she's actually not even making it home most nights, only stopping by in the afternoons to see the boys for about an hour before she goes back to the office. I was surprised that she had time to meet you, honestly," Thorin said as he finally removed the boys' burgers from the stove and turned the heat off. Bilbo got the idea that Thorin was starting to miss having someone to talk to, just based on how forthcoming he was being. Or maybe Thorin was just a naturally open communicative person. Whatever the case, he certainly didn't come off as the brooding recluse that Dis had described him as.

"She said that she was going to be trying a big case and that's why she needed someone to babysit," Bilbo said and carried the plates to the island in the center of the kitchen where there were several chairs situated. He figured that the formal dining room wasn't the place to eat a midnight snack.

"It's true. She is going to be quite busy this Summer, it may even be longer than that, but don't worry, we won't keep you once school starts back up," Thorin said with a chuckle as the sound of screaming children and pounding feet sounded from the upstairs hallway. The older man took his seat and motioned for Bilbo to do the same as the howling and whooping got closer. Bilbo had forgotten how energetic children on summer break could be.

Once he was seated Bilbo, like Thorin, started in on his burger. It was easily one of the most delicious burgers that he had ever eaten and he told Thorin as much between bites. The boys sprinted into the kitchen, skidding to a halt on stocking feet, each knocking into their respective chair before hopping up and tearing into their food. Bilbo stopped eating to stare at the ferocity of the children, Fili, the blonde one with wild locks much like his Uncle's, Kili the dark haired one with his hair neatly tied back in a hairband.

"Oh, hello Mr. Bilbo," Fili said after a long period of stuffing his face. He sat next to Bilbo and was now looking up at the graduate student with wide eyes. It was as if both of them had been on autopilot and hadn't even noticed their new babysitter until they'd stopped for breath. Bilbo smiled, chewing and swallowing his food before speaking, he hoped to help to subtly impart some manners to the children.

"Hello Fili, Kili, it's nice to meet you," he said, his voice bright and enthusiastic.

"Mom told us about you, we thought you'd be older," Kili said, tearing into his bag of chips and dumping them onto his plate.

"Well I'm 26, compared to you that's pretty old," Bilbo said and looked to Thorin, he knew the other man was 33 years old and hoped that he hadn't insulted him by insinuating anything about his age. But Thorin merely smiled at him.

"They thought you'd be ancient because that was what their last babysitter was. It was a guy by the name of Gandalf, one of your professors I believe," Thorin said and Bilbo blinked in surprise. His former History professor had never seemed like the type to babysit.

"I see now how I got the recommendation for the job," Bilbo said in response, thinking of the keen interest the professor had taken in Bilbo's education.

"Indeed, he was quite insistent that he was getting to old to babysit and dropped your name and number right into my sister's lap," Thorin said with a chuckle.

"Mr. Gandalf was really old," Fili confirmed as he finished the last of his burger in one gigantic bite that slurred his words.

"Really old!" Kili chimed in, smashing his chips up and sprinkling them on top of the lettuce on his burger. Bilbo tried not to wince at the thought of the taste that that would have to create.

After that the meal continued on in silence except for the occasional yawning of the two children in the room. The boys were clearly lagging and Bilbo suspected that it would be 10 in the morning before they got out of bed. Their mother had said that the boys slept late in the summer, now he knew that it was because they'd been up late as well.

Once the food was gone, Thorin led the boys to the bathroom where they scrubbed their hands and faces and brushed their teeth before being sent back up to put themselves to bed. Bilbo cleared away the plates, putting them into the dishwasher after giving them a brief rinse. He snapped the lids on the containers of veggies and placed them in the fridge.

"Would you care to share some wine?" Thorin asked as he returned to the kitchen, looking very harassed.

"Sure thing, I'd love some," Bilbo replied as he wiped down the island with a damp rag to clear away the crumbs from the chips. Thorin retreated briefly to retrieve the wine before grabbing two glasses and leading Bilbo to the family sitting room.

(A/N: I hope you liked it. Let me know in a review if you'd like this to continue from here or if it's gotten boring for you.)


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N: I'm really glad that people are liking this story. It encourages me to keep writing. I hope to see more of you leaving reviews to let me know what you thought. Anyway, I don't own the Hobbit and I never will. So there's that out of the way. I would like to restate the warning that this will contain Bilbo/Thorin as a romantic pairing, so if that's not cool with you I'd appreciate it if you kept that fact to yourself. Now, on with the show.)

Adventures in Babysitting

Part 4

Bilbo had followed Thorin wordlessly, not knowing exactly what to say to the handsome older man. There was so much that he wanted to know about the other man, but he felt that it was far too soon to ask. After all, though they were about to share wine and had had dinner together with the children, this was still the first time that Bilbo had met the reclusive jewelry designer. Dis was one thing, easy and open in conversation, he'd gotten to know her fairly well over the course of a single lunch. For a powerful lawyer she had a very easy-going attitude, and it seemed that despite her warnings to the contrary, so too did her brother.

"So, what do you think of the boys?" Thorin asked, uncorking the chilled bottle of white wine and pouring them both a glass. Bilbo was grateful for the conversation starter as Thorin turned the massive television on and switched it over to late-night news coverage. Normally at this hour Bilbo would be watching re-runs of cartoons, but the news was just as good at making him laugh.

"I think they're going to be a handful, but it's nothing that I haven't dealt with before. My cousin Frodo is 8 years old, has a little band of miscreants that he runs with. I do a lot of babysitting for them," Bilbo admitted with a small smile, sipping on the wine that he had been given. He admired the warmth that flooded through his chest and the almost floral taste of the wine; it had been far too long since he had something other than box wine or beer.

"That's why there are two of us. Dis wasn't about to leave me to deal with the little hellions on my own. And you did come highly recommended, Gandalf was fairly insistent that we pick you when he'd seen that you'd applied for the position," Thorin sipped his wine and motioned for Bilbo to sit beside him on the couch. "To be perfectly honest, now that I've seen you, I know exactly why it was that he recommended you," the older man said and gave Bilbo a once over.

Under such intense scrutiny Bilbo felt himself blush and he stood a little straighter. He hoped that his hair wasn't too much of a mess. He also hoped that his hoodie and ripped jeans didn't make Thorin think less of him. It was summer, but that hardly stopped Bilbo from dressing in hoodies and long pants, he simply couldn't stay warm for the life of him, no matter if it was a hundred degrees outside.

"And why is that?" Bilbo asked, sitting beside the older man so that their thighs were touching and leaning back against the cool leather of the couch cushions.

"Well aside from the fact that you have the credentials for babysitting on this level, you're very good looking. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that you got the job on merit alone. Gandalf has been trying to find someone for Dis for a very long time," Thorin said and Bilbo choked into his wine. He knew that the woman had been single since Kili was born, but the fact remained that she was 40 years old and the mother of two children, and well, not Bilbo's type at all. Not that he had anything against older women or mothers; it was simply a matter of persuasion.

"No offense to your sister, she is very attractive, but I don't…I don't think that could work," Bilbo said and Thorin laughed uproariously before taking a deep drink of his wine. The older man slung his arm around Bilbo's shoulders in a quick half-hug to show him that it wasn't a problem and continued to laugh.

"I'm going to guess that her age and the boys have nothing to do with that," Thorin said and Bilbo felt himself blush again, the entire side of his body warm from where Thorin had been pressed against him.

"Not a thing. Aside from the lawyer thing, which is very nerve-wracking, don't get me wrong there, I'm very much not into women," Bilbo admitted, wondering if half a glass of wine was enough to have gotten him buzzed. Thorin topped off both of their glasses almost before he had finished speaking and Bilbo had the sneaking suspicion that they were going to be three sheets to the wind before very much longer.

"Dis is home tomorrow, we can afford hangovers. Besides, I like to get to know people by drinking with them," Thorin confided and downed some more wine before continuing. "For a lawyer Dis isn't very intimidating once you get to know her. But she will be relieved to know that you won't be hitting on her," Thorin said and Bilbo quirked an eyebrow. He hadn't expected his being gay to go over so well with Thorin. It had already come up with Dis, and he figured after hearing that that he'd probably gotten the job because he was gay.

"I actually already told her that I was gay. She laughed. I'm thinking now that that must have been her way of showing relief," Bilbo said and Thorin nodded vigorously.

"Did you think that she wouldn't want a gay man around her sons?" Thorin asked after a moment of silence in which they drank their wine and stared at the latest news story, something about a local kid going to the national spelling bee.

"Lots of people are uncomfortable with gay men being around children. Whether they think that we're perverts or that we will somehow teach the children to be gay, it's just a fact of life," Bilbo said with a long-suffering sigh. He smiled when Thorin laughed again.

"Well she's not the type. I wouldn't be living here if she was," Thorin stated and Bilbo almost choked on his wine again. There was no way.

"You? You are gay?" Bilbo questioned and flushed at the forwardness of it all.

"Is that really so shocking? You don't look the type either," Thorin threw back his head and drained the last of his wine. Bilbo did the same and watched the bottle disappear as Thorin filled their glasses back to the top.

"I guess not. But…well didn't you get yourself in the news a few years back for dating two women at once?" the shorter man said and Thorin rolled his eyes.

"I never thought that story would stick the way it did. I paid them to tell people they were dating me. I paid them to have a very public fight over me. It wasn't for the public; it was for my father's benefit. He couldn't stand that my brother was gay. And I hadn't come out yet, so he assumed that the family name would be carried on through me, and I didn't want to disappoint," Thorin smiled slightly at his own cleverness. "But thankfully Dis was too smart to take her husband's name, so the boys are both Durin's and can carry on the family name," Thorin said and watched as Bilbo processed what he had been told.

"I can't imagine a world where my parents didn't accept me for who I was. But then I suppose with a legacy like the Durin name to carry on, it's a bit more important to have heirs to the name," Bilbo said, realizing that he had heard about Thorin's supposed exploits as far back as high school, likely before the boys were even born. He wondered for a very brief moment if he had a chance with the older man, before slamming the door on such a thought.

"You can't imagine the emphasis that was put on continuing the line. Dis is the only one of us that was capable, and thankfully she wanted children, so problem solved," Thorin said and gestured for Bilbo to stay put whilst he went to fetch more wine.

When he returned he was carrying three bottles and another glass. Bilbo raised his eyebrows at that but said nothing. If it would help Thorin to get to know him then he would be happy to get plastered on wine.

(A/N: Well let me know what you thought. If you think this should continue then tell me so. I have ideas and inspiration, but I don't want to keep writing if I'm boring people.)


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N: Well it seems like people are enthusiastic about me continuing this story. So here we go with the next installment!)

Adventure in Babysitting

Part 5

It didn't take them long to finish their second bottle of wine, and by that time, Bilbo was very much feeling the effects of the drink. He smiled broadly at Thorin as the man uncorked their third bottle. It was getting harder and harder not to comment on how attractive the older man was. Part of him suspected that Dis had been thrilled to find out that he was gay because she wanted to set him up with her brother. That had to be the reason she had him show up that night rather than tomorrow when she was supposed to be home.

"So what's with the third glass?" Bilbo asked instead of saying something utterly stupid or unforgivable. Thorin grinned and poured them each a healthy measure of red wine.

"It's for when Dis gets home. She's a big fan of having a glass of wine after working the day away. That's if we leave anything for her," Thorin laughed and leaned slightly into Bilbo's side, a companionable gesture that made the smaller man's heart flutter. He all but squeaked when Thorin's strong arm came to rest around his shoulders. It was a motion that he dismissed as friendly, after all, a few drinks and his friends were all hugs and giggles as well.

"I'm sure there's more where this stuff came from, isn't there?" Bilbo said and fought the urge to snuggle into Thorin's side despite their closeness.

"Oh plenty, I just don't want to have to get up and get more. But I'm going to have to if I'm going to get as drunk as I plan to. Now, Bilbo, why don't you tell me something about yourself? We're supposed to be getting to know each other after all," Thorin said and there was barely any indication that he had been drinking in the sound of his voice.

"Well, what do you want to know? I mean…" Bilbo paused to think of an appropriate topic but found that he couldn't come up with one.

"How about you tell me what made you want to give up your summer to come and babysit for my nephews," Thorin interjected, when it seemed that Bilbo had been silent for too long.

It was a more complicated question than he had anticipated and Bilbo took several sips of his wine to buy himself some time to think about his answer. He honestly hadn't thought about it very much when he had applied for the job. He loved kids, had had great experiences babysitting for his cousins. But what, aside from Gandalf telling him about the job, had possessed him to sign on for a summer-long gig.

"Well…I suppose part of it is just that I love kids. I mean, my cousins are hell on wheels sometimes, but they're great kids. And well, call it practical experience. I'm going to be a Kindergarten teacher once I finish with Grad school," Bilbo said and winced at how lame that sounded. Or did it sound lame? He was too drunk to tell.

"There's something you don't find every day. Someone going to grad school to be a Kindergarten teacher," Thorin said and looked Bilbo up and down, as much as he could with the younger man clasped against his side at any rate.

"Well I plan on teaching at Erebor Prep, it's a pretty prestigious school and you have to have high qualifications to make it in as a teacher," Bilbo smiled when Thorin gave a surly looking frown.

"I managed to talk Dis out of sending the boys there. It's far too strict," Thorin said and his expression morphed into a triumphant grin. For a moment Bilbo wondered why, and then he heard the front door close. Dis was home.

The older woman followed the sounds of the television and smiled at the two of them, sitting side by side on a couch meant for three people, four if you factored the boys into the equation.

"Already enjoying yourselves I see," she said and dropped her briefcase to the floor, sauntering over in bare feet to pour herself a glass from the open bottle of red wine. She grinned as she looked between them and saw both of their faces grow hot. But Thorin's grip around Bilbo's shoulders remained the same, regardless of her attention. It seemed that she had been right to select Bilbo for the job.

"You know me, got to get 'em drunk to know them for real," Thorin said almost defensively and watched as Dis maneuvered herself into a comfortable positon on the arm chair next to the couch. Bilbo felt like a teenager that had been caught making out on his parents couch all over again, and yet he didn't pull away. No, he was quite comfortable being held against Thorin's side and he really didn't want to leave.

"You're going to be so hung over," she said instead of commenting on their position any further. Perhaps she had misread it and there wasn't the kindling of anything romantic going on. She sincerely hoped that there was, Bilbo seemed genuinely nice and Thorin needed someone like him to be in his life.

"Don't care," Thorin retorted, shooting his sister a grin over his shoulder.

"I don't much care either, I've had my share of hangovers and handle them pretty well," Bilbo admitted and finished his glass of wine. He knew it was going to be a particularly bad hangover since they were mixing red and white wines. But still he didn't care whatever loosened Thorin up enough to get him to stay close was good enough for him.

"Well then, I will get to enjoy my day with the boys in peace," Dis said and grabbed the remote, changing the channel before news of the story of the case that she was working could cycle its way through.

Flipping the channels she noted the Bilbo and Thorin continued to converse without her and smile to herself. She landed on cartoons and decided that she would indulge herself in a little frivolity after the day that she had. What she didn't expect was for Bilbo to start snickering and paying more attention to the screen than he had been previously. Of course he liked cartoons, he was used to babysitting.

"You're going to get along with the boys just fine," Thorin said with a smile, no longer paying attention to Dis and instead focusing entirely on Bilbo. He knew what his sister was thinking, and he would admit to wanting to get Bilbo into his bed. But he somehow doubted that such a thing was possible, even if they were both of the persuasion to do so. And since he didn't want the entire summer to be an awkward affair, he kept his feelings to himself and contented himself with keeping an arm around the smaller man.

(A/N: Well I hope you liked it. I'm trying not to just jump in to them being a couple, but they're just so darn cute together that it's difficult for me to keep them apart.)


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